A QUEENS civic association is offering a fresh idea to help the cash-strapped MTA - force more locals to ride the bus.

Commuter vans that illegally operate along bus routes in Maspeth have long poached fares from the struggling Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said Roe Daraio, president of Citizens of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together.

Stricter enforcement of the gypsy van drivers, who block driveways and intersections to pick up passengers for about $2 a pop, could help the city generate more money in fines and prompt more people to pay for a MetroCard, Daraio said.

"These people will pay their own salaries," Daraio said of getting more Taxi & Limousine Commission agents to patrol the local bus routes.

"The lack of enforcement by TLC in our area is basically giving the green light to commuter van companies to operate outside their authorized zones," Daraio said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/04/20/2010-04-20_crack_down_on_commuter_vans_cries_civic_assn_leader.html